I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970) as Jeannie / Jeannie II / Jeannie’s Mother
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) as Angela Benedict
Harper Valley P.T.A. (1981-1982) as Stella Johnson / Della Johnson
How to Marry a Millionaire (1957-1959) as Loco Jones
Short Info
Net Worth
$8.5 Million
Date Of Birth
August 23, 1931
Spouse
Jon Eicholtz, Charles Donald Fegert, Michael Ansara
Mark
Sparkling blue eyes
Fact
Her parents divorced when she was three and her mother Alice later married Harrison Connor Huffman.
Who is Barbara Eden?
Barbara Jean Morehead was born on 23 August 1931, in Tucson, Arizona USA, and is an actress as well as a singer, best known for being the star of the sitcom entitled “I Dream of Jeannie” inwhich she plays the titular character.
Early Life and Education
Barbara’s parents divorced when she was young, and she later moved with her mother to San Francisco where her mother would remarry to a telephone lineman, so she grew up with a younger half-sister, in a family greatly affected by The Great Depression. It was during this time that she was taught by her mother how to sing, and during her teens she sang in local bands to supplement the family income. At the age of 16, she became a member of Actor’s Equity. After matriculating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1949, she enrolled for theatre classes at the City College of San Francisco and stayed there for a year. She also took singing lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and acting classes at the Elizabeth Holloway School of Theatre. During her time at City College, she was elected Miss San Francisco, and also entered the Miss California pageant. Her first television role would come in 1956, when she became a semi-regular on “The Johnny Carson Show”.
#ThrowbackThursday! This fun and very rare shot of Barbara comes from the archives of promotional photos for I Dream…
More projects started to come Eden’s way, including “The West Point Story”, “I Love Lucy”, “The Andy Griffith Show”, “Perry Mason”, as well as “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”. She later starred in the television series “How to Marry a Millionaire” which is based on the film of the same name, then after starring in a play with James Drury, she caught the attention of filmmakers who cast her in “From The Terrace”. She was later given a contract by 20th Century Fox, leading to minor roles in “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” and “The Wayward Girl”, then starred opposite Barry Coe and Gary Crosby in “A Private’s Affair”. In 1960, she co-starred with Elvis Presley in “Flaming Star”.
The following year, she had a supporting role in “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”, before starring in “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm”. Two years later, she became a part of the production of “Five Weeks in a Balloon”, before getting the lead role in the comedy “Swingin’ Along”. Her last film with 20th Century Fox was in “The Yellow Canary”, then made guest appearances for other studios such as Universal, MGM, and Columbia.
In 1965, Barbara was signed to star in the sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie”, in which she played the role of the beautiful genie Jeannie, set free from her bottle by astronaut Anthony “Tony” Nelson played by Larry Hagman, staying with the show for five years and 139 episodes, which considerably enhanced her net worth as well as her professional standing. She then started working on other television projects, including “The Stranger Within” and “Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?”, and starred in the feature film “Harper Valley PTA”, which led to a television series in 1981.
Image source
Her work continued throughout the next few decades, leading her to perform in various theatrical productions including “Woman of the Year”, “Nite Club Confidential”, “The Odd Couple…The Female Version” and “the Sound of Music”. In the 2000s, she appeared in productions such as “Love Letters”, leading to a guest starring role in the televisions series “Army Wives”. A few of her recent projects include the television movie “Always and Forever”, and the 2013 film “One Song”. She has also done voice work in her later career, particularly for the series “Shimmer and Shine” playing the role of Empress Caliana.
Personal Life
For her personal life, it is known that Eden has married three times, firstly to actor Michael Ansara from 1958 to 1974, and they had a son together. Three years later she married Charles Fegeret, but they divorced in 1982. Her third marriage is to Jon Eicholtz, since 1991. Eden released a memoir entitled “Jeannie Out of the Bottle” in 2011, detailing most of her career and personal life. She even talks about the death of her only child. She received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star for her contribution to television.
Image source
The Riches of Barbara Eden
How rich is Barbara Eden? As of late-2018, sources estimate a net worth that is over $10 million, earned through a successful career in the acting industry. She also worked on numerous films throughout her career, but now appears only in guest roles and chat shows, which may add to her wealth.
General Info
Full Name
Barbara Eden
Net Worth
$8.5 Million
Date Of Birth
August 23, 1931
Height
1.62 m
Weight
120 lbs
Profession
Actor, Singer
Education
Abraham Lincoln High School, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Jon Eicholtz, Charles Donald Fegert, Michael Ansara
Children
Matthew Ansara
Parents
Alice Mary Franklin, Hubert Henry Morehead
Siblings
Alison Scanlon
Accomplishments
Awards
TV Land Favorite Dual Role Character Award
Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Female, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Movies
Flaming Star, Harper Valley PTA, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, The Brass Bottle, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Five Weeks in a Balloon, The Woman Hunter, Ride the Wild Surf, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, The Stranger Within, From the Terrace, A Private’s Affair, I Dream of Jeannie… Fifteen Y…
TV Shows
Brand New Life, Harper Valley PTA, I Dream of Jeannie, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Great American Quiz Show, Championship Ballroom Dancing
Social profile links
Marks
#
Marks / Signs
1
Bright, melodic voice.
2
Voluptuous figure
3
Sparkling blue eyes
4
Platinum blonde hair
Quotes
#
Quote
1
[on Jeannie’s pink outfit and how the NBC executives forbid her navel from being exposed] They became very strict about the navel…very strict about the pantaloons. They had to be very shadowed so you couldn’t see my legs.
2
[The advice she’s given towards parents after her son died from a heroin overdose] I’m telling them, ‘talk to someone who has been through this, and seek help for your child right away’. If you treat this disease early, you can stop it.
3
[on her son’s addiction to drugs, drug rehabilitation, and his death from heroin overdose] He won a lot of battles, but he lost his personal war.
4
On Jeannie: She’s very easy to live with. Actually I think I’m more restricted by her now than when she was on the air, or 20 years after. I was just so busy.
5
Advice to present-day actors linked to a particular role: I would embrace the character, because it won’t do any good if you don’t. And another thing: Don’t whine or talk trash about it. I don’t think you ever demean to your public what you’ve done. You’re insulting them if you demean your work.
6
Work makes me feel productive, as though I’m contributing something. I like being productive and feeling productive.
7
I’ve never stopped working. If you’re active, you can appreciate what you did in the past, you don’t feel like it’s gone.
8
Out of all the actors I have worked with, I love working with Larry Hagman the most. We were very close and it was just a wonderful time.
9
If gentlemen prefer blondes then I’m a blonde that prefers gentlemen.
10
Every New Year’s I resolve to have a better year than I had before.
11
I played the Marilyn Monroe role of “Loco” in How to Marry a Millionaire (1957), though I didn’t consider myself as that kind of actress, I approached the role more as a character.
12
I don’t know what I am doing from one moment to the next. I like that not knowing because it’s always a surprise. You don’t know what’s around the corner, you know what role am I going to play next and who am I going to be working with. It’s like opening a present.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Best friends with Larry Hagman.
2
Was one month older than her I Dream of Jeannie (1965) co-star Larry Hagman.
3
Gave birth to her first child at age 31, son Matthew Ansara, on August 29th, 1965. Child’s father is her ex-husband, Michael Ansara.
4
Her mother, Alice Huffman, had her when she was only 16.
5
Appeared at the 2013 Life Ball in Vienna wearing her I Dream of Jeannie (1965) outfit–and this time she was allowed to show her belly button.
6
Best known by the public for her starring role as the title character in I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
7
When she was seven months pregnant with her second baby she found out it wasn’t alive. She had to carry the baby six more weeks until it was delivered stillborn.
8
Had one miscarriage prior to having her son Matthew.
9
Owns a chocolate Labradoodle named Djinn-Djinn (named after Jeannie’s dog on I Dream of Jeannie (1965)).
10
When her son, Matthew Ansara, was 19 months old, she brought him on stage and sang to him while co-hosting The Mike Douglas Show (1961).
11
Although she was born Barbara Jean Morehead, she began using the name Barbara Jean Huffman in 1945 and then became Barbara Eden in 1956.
12
Her grandmother, Frances Elvira O’Leary Franklin, was born in 1879 in Galena, Nevada.
13
Her grandfather, Charles Benjamin Franklin, was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1870.
14
Lucille Ball wanted to put Barbara under contract, but she signed with 20th Century-Fox instead.
15
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7003 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 17, 1998.
16
Miss San Francisco of 1951.
17
As a child she had to wear glasses, an eye patch and pigtails. Because of this, she became very shy. To help overcome her shyness her mother enrolled her in singing classes.
18
She and third husband Jon Eicholtz were married in 1991 in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral Church, which Barbara attended as a child.
19
Ex-mother-in-law of Julie Ansara.
20
Has a younger sister, Alison Scanlon, who is 12 years younger.
21
Aunt of Katherine Fugate. Barbara is godmother of Katherine’s daughter, Madeleine Barbara Fugate.
22
Gene Schwam is her friend and manager.
23
She had a nightclub act for a while after I Dream of Jeannie (1965). She was actually a talented singer, and she performed various kinds of songs in her act.
24
She did a screen test in May, 1960 for State Fair (1962).
25
She was inducted into the California Broadcasting Hall of Fame in a special ceremony July 18, 2003.
26
Barbara’s last name was changed from “Huffman” to “Eden” by her first agent.
27
On Monday, June 25, 2001, her son Matthew Ansara (with first husband Michael Ansara) died of an accidental drug overdose. He was 35. His body was found in his car in a parking lot off a freeway in Los Angeles, California.
28
Shortly after shooting began on the pilot episode for I Dream of Jeannie (1965), it was learned that she was pregnant. Director Gene Nelson invented a shot he playfully called the “ATB” (“Above the Baby”). “Sometimes,” he stated, “We’d have to follow Jeannie’s arm across the room”.
29
Graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, CA, in 1949.
30
Son was Matthew Ansara (b. 29 August 1965 – d. 25 June 2001).
31
Her mother, Alice Huffman, was born on August 13, 1915. Barbara and her mother were very close. After her mother developed lung cancer, Barbara took care of her until she died on November 12, 1986.
32
In addition to playing Jeannie in “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965), she also played Jeannie’s “evil twin” sister, Jeannie II. The two were opposite in every conceivable respect, from personality (good/evil) to hair color (blonde/black).
33
Although she was born Barbara Jean Moorhead, she took her stepfather’s last name of Huffman when her mother Alice remarried.
34
Her parents divorced when she was three and her mother Alice later married Harrison Connor Huffman.
35
The presence of her belly-button on I Dream of Jeannie (1965) was a non-issue until its existence was questioned, playfully, by columnist Mike Connolly. When Laugh-In (1967) producer George Schlatter decided to premiere it on his show, NBC issued a “No Navel Edict”.
Pictures
Movies
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
Guess Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?
1973
TV Movie
Francine Gregory
The Barbara Eden Show
1973
TV Movie
Barbara Norris
The Toy Game
1973
TV Movie
Barbara Norris
The Woman Hunter
1972
TV Movie
Dina Hunter
A Howling in the Woods
1971
TV Movie
Liza Crocker
The Feminist and the Fuzz
1971
TV Movie
Dr. Jane Bowers
Howdy
1970
TV Movie
Off to See the Wizard
1967
TV Series
Melinda
Kismet
1967
TV Movie
Lalumne
The Rogues
1965
TV Series
Sally Cardew
Slattery’s People
1965
TV Series
Lucrezia Kirk
Burke’s Law
1963-1965
TV Series
Vanessa Barrett / Linda Murray / Sylvia Hanson / …
